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Forum
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RE: Insurance question again!!
For the first time in my driving career (spanning about 47 years) I've noticed that insurance rates on my 2 1/2 yr old fiver and truck have NOT gone down but actually have risen up by a few dollars. The rates on EVERY vehicle I've ever owned in the past have always gone down over time as they depreciated.
I'm presently investigating other insurance companies. My current one is GMAC. I called them about this issue and the answer was rather vague, to say the least. I'm sure the truck and fiver are worth much less now and the rates should go down accordingly, IMHO.
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mr. ed
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11/05/09 04:01pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Help with 2007 Dodge 3500
My 2007.5 CTD had some issues with the emissions for a while (lots of check engine lights) but after a new turbo and EGR valve replacement and several computer flashes it is running quite good now. They've pretty much gotten most of the bugs worked out.
If you don't run the truck hard enough or make only short trips the DPF will start to fill up and you'll get a message on the overhead that regeneration is required. The process is not difficult or time consuming. You only need to run the truck at highway speed for about 15-20 minutes and you're good to go for a while. Some people have said they needed to run their trucks for about 45 minutes or so to complete regeneration but my experience has been that it only takes a few minutes.
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mr. ed
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11/05/09 03:53pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Test pull with the new diesel truck
Hey, you have to tell us what truck you've got???
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mr. ed
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11/05/09 03:46pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Anyone using a 09 Dodge QC 6.7l to pull around 6k ?
That 6.7 CTD should pull your 6k trailer with ease. My fiver weighs about 12k loaded for fulltime use. Towing at around 60 MPH I can get about 11-12 MPG on mostly flat highway. Truck is totally stock.
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mr. ed
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11/05/09 03:44pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Not A Bad Place To Be....
I spent about a week near Canyon Lake a few years ago. I was fishing at an area on the lake where there is a waterfall that empties into a stream (I'm going by memory here). This spot has a metal railing. I had leaned my fishing pole against the railing and was standing nearby when all of a sudden something huge grabbed the bait and my pole started to thrash violently. Hoping to catch the pole before the fish pulled it into the water I ran quickly but upon catching the pole I smashed my ribs badly against the railing. Even though I couldn't catch my breath due to the injury I tried to reel that monster in but the line broke and I never was able to determine just what it was at the end of the line (maybe a big catfish?).
In a lot of pain, I managed to reach my car and drive myself to the nearest hospital. X-rays were taken but nothing was broken...just badly bruised ribs. Talk about pain! Took quite a while to get better.
So, I have these "fond" memories of Canyon Lake. I've even considered going back to that same spot and trying to catch the "big one that got away. Yep, I'd be Capt. Ahab looking for Moby Dick ;)
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mr. ed
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11/04/09 03:14pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Lubing the Slide?
I use slip plate. Stopped the squeeks and groaning.
Can you describe "slip plate"? Is that the name of the product? I use silicone or teflon lube on my slides and they work well but often make squeaking noises while in operation, no doubt the rubber wipers making most of the noise.
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mr. ed
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11/04/09 02:58pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Its a sad sad day in Central Indiana
Greetings from sunny, warm Yuma, AZ :C (sorry, couldn't resist)
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mr. ed
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11/04/09 02:40pm |
General RVing Issues
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Ceiling Fan Noisy? Try This...
Hello, friends. I thought I’d pass along this helpful hint:
For some time now the ceiling fan in my kitchen/dining area has been getting noisy as it rotates. Thinking that dirt accumulation may have unbalanced the blades I decided to do a thorough job by removing each blade, one at a time. They hadn’t been cleaned in 2 ½ years! (I’m such a procrastinator :R).
Well, I found it wasn’t so much that dirt had caused the imbalance but all 3 screws holding each of the 5 blades had worked loose (photo below). I tightened them all, cleaned the blades and reinstalled them on the fan motor assembly. The fan is whisper quiet now.
The entire job isn’t difficult and can probably be accomplished in about ½ hour.
NOTE: be careful when removing blades. I’m 6’4” and still had to use a step stool in order to comfortably reach them. Also, try not to drop any screws when removing the blades from the motor. The lock washers will inevitably fly off and they’re hard to locate on the floor or rug.
All 3 screws had become loose
http://i34.tinypic.com/f2j0v9.jpg
I removed one lamp fixture to facilitate reaching the screws
http://i35.tinypic.com/xkum92.jpg
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mr. ed
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11/03/09 03:23pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Crazy 5th wheeler questions
#1. I use cruise control on long stretches of highway where grades are fairly mild. When approaching a steeper grade I cancel the cruise control and re-enable it when back on relatively flat highway. The reason I do this is because my TV has a manual transmission and it's necessary to gear down on steeper grades, something which can't easily be done if cruise control is on.
#2. My cruising speed when towing is around 62 MPH, which equates to about 1800 RPM on my Cummins, which seems to be the "sweet spot".
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mr. ed
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10/31/09 04:21pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: High humidity, Attwood HW heater gremlin.
This thread has been of much interest to me, but my problem is actually a little different from what's been reported.
It's not outdoor temp dependent. It's happened in very hot weather and cool weather. The thing in common all times is that the trailer was towed in the rain to the destination, and is still wet from that rain. If I open the cover, there's water droplets visible on the left half (gas valve and exhaust) but not on the control panel.
The symptom is that the burner doesn't light. Unlike what others here have reported, it doesn't even try to light. If I listen really closely, I can hear a very faint high-pitched whine coming from the electronics module. On the off change, and because it's cheap and easy to do, I replaced the temp sensors but that didn't help any.
After it has dried inside, it lights without an issue. Also, rain while parked does not have this affect (my guess is it doesn't get blown onto whatever part is at fault when parked).
Because of where I've seen the moisture collect and because the control board is already embedded in resin, I was going to replace the gas valve next, but that's a fairly expensive part. Should I instead look at sealing the control board?
I'm glad you explained your heater problem more completely. You're right, it's quite a bit different from what some of us thought. Since it's definitely moisture related it looks like the advice some others gave about sealing (waterproofing) the electronics is the way to go.
From what I understand, are you saying that the ignitor is not even firing or is it firing but not igniting the propane?
The high pitched whine is no doubt the noise from the circuitry that provides the high voltage for the ignitor. If the ignitor isn't firing then perhaps the problem lies in that section of the electronics.
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mr. ed
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10/31/09 03:59pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: High humidity, Attwood HW heater gremlin.
Mine does exactly as yours. When the weather is humid AND cool I often have to hit the ignition switch for the water heater 3 times before it stay on. The flame will ignite and go out 2 times but almost guaranteed it will light the third time. I live with it because I'm usually camping in the western US where there's lower humidity.
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mr. ed
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10/30/09 04:29pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ERS ratings from the tow operators...
I recently changed over to Coach Net. Makes me feel good, too :).
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mr. ed
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10/30/09 04:23pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Black tank ruptured on the 5th parked next to me
Deleted post...not relevant.
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mr. ed
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10/30/09 04:15pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Tire pressure on tv
A couple of people I know who would run 80 psi all the time on an unloaded truck wore out the center of the tread long before its time. I air mine up only when pulling the camper and 60 in the rear when not per the door sticker on my Dodge. My Ford and Dodge show the front tires at 60 all the time not 80. If all 4 tires had 80 all the time it would ride like a tank and eat tires evry 10,000 miles.
dbbls had the best advice.
I do exactly as Arcamper. There's no need to run 80 lbs when not towing. FWIW, I learned something interesting from a tire dealer recently. He says he never pressurizes tires to their max capacity no matter what the load. He always uses 5 lbs less as a safety margin. I don't know where he got his info but I'll keep putting 80 lbs in my rear tires when towing.
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mr. ed
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10/30/09 04:10pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Tire Pressure, does it really matter?
When towing, my rear tires are at 80 PSI. When I'm running solo I reduce the pressure to 60 PSI (all 4 tires). The ride is a little smoother that way and the lower pressure is still within the recommended tire ratings (my tire size: Michelins, LT235/85R16).
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mr. ed
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10/30/09 04:00pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: How Many Miles?
Since my tow vehicle is my only vehicle I put more mileage on it than those who have another vehicle at hand. The truck is now 2 1/2 years old with 40k miles, so I'd say roughly 15K/yr.
I would love to have another vehicle to use as a daily driver but since I travel often and don't want to double-tow I'm consigned to using the one vehicle.
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mr. ed
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10/28/09 04:53pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Good Sam Club
I'm another one who recently changed from Good Sam ERS to Coach Net. No, I didn't have a problem with Good Sam but then I'd only used them twice in about 15 or 20 years. The reason I changed was due to concerns over the solvency of the parent company, Affinity. Haven't had a chance to use Coach Net yet but doing some research on the Internet shows that most are satisfied with the service. An additional perk was that the annual dues for Coach Net is about $10 less than GS.
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mr. ed
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10/28/09 04:44pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 5th wheels in windy conditions
Years ago I owned a Lazy Daze Class C (beautifully made coach, BTW). I was nearly blown off the road on the way to Palm Springs one day by a powerful gust of wind. I actually felt two wheels on one side leave the ground! Scary, to say the least!
After the Lazy daze, I owned a Class A Flair. Yes, passing trucks would be noticeable but I never felt endangered at any time.
Now, I own a 29' fifth wheel and I must admit the difference is night and day. I can haul it down the interstate at 65 MPH and have semi's pass me doing 80 MPH and feel NOTHING different in the handling. I can even drive comfortably with one hand while being passed or during windy conditions.
Now, here's a different scenario: I was chatting with a neighbor at the RV park I'm currently staying at near Yuma, AZ. He keeps his fiver at the park year 'round. During a summer storm there was a wind gust of 80 MPH. His fiver was actually pushed several inches to one side. Fortunately, his landing jacks remained on the wooden blocks, otherwise he would be looking at some significant damage.
LESSON: If using any kind of blocks under the landing jacks, be sure they aren't too high. This way if they're pushed to the side by extreme wind the drop won't be great enough to cause damage. :)
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mr. ed
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10/28/09 04:30pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: How do you keep fit on the road?
I keep in pretty good shape with resistance bands and walking. My walks include not just straight, flat roads but hiking hilly or mountainous areas on occasion in order to provide more of a workout. I also eat as healthy as I can...only wholegrain products, plenty of veggies, very little alcohol and of course, NO smoking....
People rarely guess my correct age. They're usually 5 to 10 years off (less, of course :) )
OOOPS! Didn't notice 2nd part of your question. With the resistance bands I perform arm curls and chest pulls. That's about it...
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mr. ed
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10/27/09 04:39pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: cummins shake
Mine doesn't seem to shake at start-up (at least not so much I notice it). However, shutdown is another story. You will notice this especially if yours is a manual shift like mine. If I push the clutch pedal in before shut-off the shaking is noticeably reduced (along with the noise).
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mr. ed
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10/27/09 04:29pm |
Tow Vehicles
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